Writing – Dan Steven Erickson

Preorder Cult Boy, the Novella

Cult Boy is now available to preorder as an eBook at Amazon with a release date of June 9.

Imagine being the victim of an extreme religious cult as a young boy. Dan Steven Erickson has written a raw and gut-wrenching novella about his own experience working as a slave for Ted Rinaldo, leader of “The Group” at Eden Farms in 1970’s Snohomish, Washington.

As 27-year-old Andy Burden, Dan Steven Erickson tells the story of extreme work, living conditions, and punishment in the cult, and how his actions helped to bring the cult to an end. The aftermath of his childhood experience left him traumatized and he struggles with paranoia and substance abuse as a young man. As a means of healing, he takes a train across the United States where he meets a cast of marginalized characters that help him more than any religious organization ever could. He discovers and struggles with the power of forgiveness tempered with the reality of his personal trauma. He writes the story while on his journey and then leaves it behind only to rediscover it.

At just under 30,000 words, this is fast-paced read that can be completed in a single session. – dse

Preorder Today

Current Projects in the Works

So, I’m still stuck in Tennessee, but I’m making fair use of my time. I have a few projects in the works. Here’s the nuts and bolts:

Cult Boy: I did a complete rewrite of my book A Train Called Forgiveness. It’s been stripped back to a novella and renamed. I’m currently doing a final edit and will proofread once more after that.
Mercy, Mercy: This is in brainstorming mode. A potential novella about living through having a stillborn child. The book would have two first-person narrators, the father, and the unborn/spirit daughter.
1995/96 Songs: I’ve posted selections from my older song catalog up until 1994 on my YouTube channel. I thought my 1995/96 songs were already in Maine but I found them here. I’ll start posting some tracks in May. I might have to rewrite a few because I can’t find any recordings.
Glitsch: My new website for brutalist and glitchy poetry and photos and music. Check it out at glitcsh.com.
Anderhill: I’ve got a few tracks in the works on my iPad.

That’s it for now. I’m staying busy creatively. But I’ll also need to do some travel and other projects in the near future. – dse

Rewrite

In 2023, I took a sabbatical from my teaching duties. The goal was to start the process of rewriting my cult-survival story. After taking a course on memoir writing and making the initial changes, I shied away from the project.

The rewrite I envisioned then wasn’t the right fit for my story. My goal was to get rid of any fictionalized parts, change fictional names to real names, people, places, etc. In a meeting with a memoir expert I decided it was all too much for too little return. She recommended in-depth research, interviews with former cult members, and a total rewrite, years of work.

Now I understand something. That is not what this story needs. It doesn’t need to be added to. It needs to be stripped back, reduced from a short novel to a mid-length novella. From over 40,000 words to under 30,000. Bare bones. And so the rewrite has begun.

The original book, A Train Called Forgiveness, was my first attempt at writing and publishing a book. I self-published and sold a modest amount of copies. It gets good reviews at Amazon. But as time passed, something has gnawed at me. Two things. First, the writing could be tighter. Second, there needs to be a thematic change. I’m not telling yet.

I’ve always loved minimalist writers and gritty writers. Cormac McCarthy and Denis Johnson come to mind. I love writers who make the process as much about editing as writing. Writers who painstakingly get rid of every unnecessary word, and then craft what remains into pure art. That’s the goal for the rewrite.

The new book will remain creative non-fiction, but many real names will be used. The title will change to Cult Boy. If you’d like to see the first chapter in progress, you can check it out on my new website, glitcsh.com. Beware, because it’s a work in progress, it might change from week to week as I hone in on the minimalist vibe I’m seeking. – dse

Introducing G L I T C . S H

What is G L I T C . S H? It’s a brutalist, minimalist, and glitchy poetry and photography site. It’s a place where I’ll focus on poetic creativity. Here’s a short quote from the manifesto:

I believe that ERROR is the only honest data left in a manicured system. My lyrics are not typos but rather the intentional ruptures of a soul that refuses to be domesticated by the algorithm.

G L I T C . S H_ may have a simple and classic presentation, but don’t let that fool you. My poetry intentionally makes use of symbols, numbers, errors, stutters, and more. My photography editing blatantly erases the world as we see it.

The site will have both long-form writing series’ and a Machine Feed (blogroll) of individual poems and photographs.

The first long-form work is called Pentad.

PENTAD is a five-cycle journey consisting of 86 short poems. The first and third cycles have several chapters while the others stand alone. Instead of endlessly scrolling on social media, I invite you to come along on this journey of thought and reflection.

I encourage you to check out the new site. I’ll be updating the Machine Feed a couple times a week, and adding new long-form writing every month or two. – dse

G L I T C . S H

Big Life Update

Life is unpredictable. My move back to Maine is postponed.

I’m not happy about that but it is what it is. The lease is running out where we’re currently living and we’ll have to move locally sometime in April. My daughter will rent a place in Nashville and now that I’m not working, if I must stay in Tennessee, that will be much better.

I’ll be closer to Vanderbilt for my blood cancer specialist. I’ll also be nearer to music venues for performing, (if I choose), and attending shows. Maybe, I’ll even look for part-time work.

That’s the gist on the “life” side of things but I also want to address some changes in my posting schedule here.

I am going to post less often.

Recently, I reduced how often I post on my YouTube Channel. I’ve discovered that I really like that freedom. I’m also developing a new poetry website that will be much more of a static site than a “blog.” And that’s the direction I want to move here as well.

I’ll primarily continue to post news, new releases, and occasional poetry. I’m going to move away from feeling the need to post something just because more than a few days have passed. This new schedule starts now, so don’t be surprised if it’s a couple weeks until the next post. – dse

Why Is the World So Messed Up?

I know this site is supposed to be about songwriting and poetry and music. But we can’t ignore the elephant in the room. The world is in a state of chaos. I suppose it’s always had an element of that, but right now it seems particularly more fucked up than I’ve ever seen it. So why is the world so messed up?

If I had the answer, I might be able to fix it. I don’t, but I can take a pretty good guess in a single word.

Greed.

I suppose hate is a close tie.

But rather than give you a definitive answer, I’d like to give you my personal solution on how to deal with the daily stress of it all.

It’s true. The world seems to be in a state of constant turmoil in which I’ve never seen in my lifetime. Every day we get hit in the face with more bad news. It’s constant. It’s almost like Chinese water torture, a long, slow, and constant drip. There’s really not much we can do about the big issues, but get involved and we can vote. We can also do things to help save our own sanity.

Write, Write, Write

There it is. My solution. Write.

There are other things you can do. You can meditate, walk, run, hike, read, bike, fish, or just about anything else that helps you to cope positively. For me, writing is the best therapy during the most stressful times. Why is that?

Unlike exercise, meditation, and reading, writing allows us to process our thoughts and feelings in an active and present way. It also allows us to vent. Some of my most angry and raw lyrics have been written during our most treacherous times.

So, if you’re struggling with stress and anxiety during what seems to be some of the most fucked up times in the last 60 years, write about it. Express yourself.

I might not have the answer to the big question, why is this world so messed up? But I do have a personal solution to help you stay as sane as possible during these times.

Write. – dse